FARMS AND FARMERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 December 1925, Page 8

FARMS AND FARMERS

‘ ITEMS OWNTERE&T. (By “Roustabout”). Breeders or owners of Friesian cattle will be interested to read the result of the first sale of pedigree Friesians which took place at the breeding farm of John Court Ltd., at Panmure, near Auckland. The attendance was large, including representatives of the leading Friesian breeders of New Zealand, Australia, and South America. Twelve of the offering averaged £54 12s. The top price was 116 guineas for Hobson King Ona, purchased by Mr Neil Carter of Whakatane. There was keen competit'on for this exceptionally good bull. The top price for a female was 70 guineas, paid by the Waitemata' Stud Farm for Hobso'n Queen Aggie. Hobson Tinie Korndyke Segis was purchased by Mr John Brown, of Newcastle, Australia, for 72 guineas. Hobson Ada was bought at 50 guineas for export to the Argentine. by Wright Stephenson, and Company, Ltd. Segis Tobes was purchased by Mr Mackereth, of Ohaewai, for 50 guineas. Halligan Bros. Te Aroha, were the purchasers of Johanna Alcortra, at 60 guineas.

Various conditions affect cows in regard to not giving down their milk. The commonest cause is nervousness, and cattle in a strange or altered shed, or with a new milker, will perhaps be unsettled for days. Change in diet is another cause which may affect the cows and if they are su»'fering any pain or discomfort they will frequently wit'hhd'd the milk. A regular diet and familiar surround-’ ings are mot likely to give good results.

The dairyman who took the trouble > keep his herd well fed with solid nourishing fodder during the winter months has now a distinct advantage, over the man who, thinking hi,s co*.™ could do well enough on what they could forage for themselves, neglected to expend time or money on caring for them. The animals, doubtless, survived the winter, but came in in the spring (a particularty bad one) with little constitution to fall back upon. Many farmers in the district have found that a small outlay in winter is well repaid later on. Several fanners are reported to nave lost cows in consequence of neglect in this direction, and some who , had e.s-

caped actual loss are faced with a marked decrease in the milk supply for the spring months. Conditions have improved somewhat of Hate, and milk returns are up to standard. As soon as a cow has been milked, allow her to pass out at once and go right on towards the field where sne is to spend her time until the next milking. The practice, which some farmers adopt of keeping tn e cows hanging about after milking is an injurious one from two points of view—namely, the dairy premises are thus made more difficult to keep dean and als«, the cow is being retained from, pasture at a time when the desire for food is considerable, and wnen it is most required that • the animal may be able to digest a quantity of. it long before the next milking time arrives. A fundamental axiom of horse husbandry is well I expressed in the statement “A horse is no better than ins four feet.” Translated into terms or dairy husbandry, it would sound much like this f A dairy cow is no hotter titan her udder.’- -implied or ex-

pressed, this rule largely governs the desirability of animals considered for a dairy, herd, or the fitness of any animal to remain in the herd. The dairy cow’s udder is an abnormally developed gland, the result of centuries of careful selective breeding.. It is complex in its physiology. Functioning as it does under high tension, for maximum milk production during most of the adult life of the cow. this marvellous structure is subjected to a very great physical strain, with - small opportunity for rest or repair. The extra tax on the udder which is involved in the birth of calves and shortly thereafter often counterbalances the rest allowed between milking periods. Every quarter must be a milk producer, so that cows . with “blind teats” shou'ld find no place in an up-to-date herd. Good selection stands first, and the continuation of breeding on known points and those well-established, form a good second; but, still, we must grant weeding out a third pla.ee in the programme. It is a 1 great mistake to keep doubtful mem- ■ berg of the herd hanging on year after 1 year because they come from a good 1 stock. Let the stock be what it will, 1 if the object ' s milk and the animal is not showing a profit in her periods ( of lactation, it is best to get shot of \ her. a c

■ Notwithstanding the amount of pig breeding carried on in New Zealand, a great many more calves are being reared this season. Some fine-looK-ing mobs can be seen on the Larger farms, both of the Shorthorn and Jersey breeds. There are also «

uivou'Ci .ijiLiv; tixov/ ci number of Friesian calves, but Diey are mostly pedigree. One fact notice- , able is the remarkable evenness of the line, both in size and colour, and they present a pleasant sight on the fresh green pasture. The best calves are seen where home separation is carried out, but there are several very good calf-rearing foods on the .market jut now which, mixed with whey give good results. So far there is no indication of the prices which will be obtained for calves this year. No forward sales have been recorded, but, judging from the price of store cattle ■at present, palves. will return a fair margin of profit. The recently formed Te Awamutu Co-operative Dairy Company has shown its determination to turn out only a first-class article by appointing as factory manager Mr G. J. Arnold, who has for some time oeen

manager of the Rangiwahia-Ruahme Dairy Compay. If is only a few months ago since Mr Arnold leapt into the limelight of the dairy world by making the butter that was awarded the world’s championship at the Auckland Winter Show. This competition attracted wide attention, and butter makers ' from the leading ■dairy companies of the world entered exhibits. Mr Arnold secured the coveted trophy by scoring 96J, points.His average grade for the last season at Rahgiwahia was 93.35.